Three Priorities Shaping Education Design Now
Insights Inside the July/August Issue
- Existing education facilities present growing opportunities for strategic reinvestment.
- Flexibility must support changing users, programs, and long-term needs.
- Inclusive design expands the definition of educational performance.
- School security can protect occupants without compromising comfort or belonging.
Confession: Sometimes I have a blind spot when it comes to connecting readers with related content outside of interiors+sources. One advantage of being part of a sector-focused media group is access to perspectives, coverage angles, and expert insights beyond the interiors+sources site and publication.
This is not a shameless plug, I promise.
When we were discussing content opportunities for this education-themed issue, market content director Robert Nieminen reminded me of the resources available through the Architecture + Design Master Continuing Education website—one of which is an education market sector outlook. The presentation helped me to structure an approach for the issue and to look for emergent themes relating to learning environments.
These stories and industry viewpoints show how education design is broadening its definition of performance—responding not only to buildings and budgets, but to the people who teach, learn, and gather within them.
I’m not going to rehash the entire presentation, but I do want to walk through a few takeaways that tie in with this issue.
Existing buildings will carry more of the market. Therefore, architects and designers have an enormous opportunity to bring older education facilities up to contemporary standards for performance, accessibility, and occupant experience. That experience is no longer secondary. RKTB Architects’ Albert Aronov and Nelya Sachakova examine additions to space-constrained New York City school sites. Their work shows how expansion in urban areas can improve accessibility, optimize space, and strengthen connections between schools and the surrounding community.
Flexibility must extend beyond movable furniture. Don’t get me wrong; movable furniture is a great enhancement. But flexibility also means designing for a wider range of bodies, minds, and teaching practices. That broader view appears in two places in this issue. IIDA’s latest column reveals future-ready education design insights, and the recent report and guidebook released by Corgan—Hugo and ASID centers educators with disabilities, a group often overlooked in school design. Its recommendations address physical access, cognitive load, and educators’ ability to work independently.
Security means more than physical protection—and it doesn’t need to dominate the experience. Today, we know all too well the urgency of school safety concerns. However, physical protective measures represent only one part of the story. Every fiber of my being wanted to avoid approaching school safety solely through hardening campuses. Instead, we chose a case study showing how thoughtful design can support psychological safety, belonging, and occupant dignity while discreetly incorporating security measures.
Together, these stories and industry viewpoints show how education design is broadening its definition of performance—responding not only to buildings and budgets, but to the people who teach, learn, and gather within them.
I hope the issue offers you a few new ways to approach that responsibility.
About the Author
Carrie Meadows
Head of Content
Carrie Meadows is Head of Content for interiors+sources, where she leads editorial strategy, content development, and brand storytelling focused on the people, projects, and innovations shaping the design industry. With more than two decades of experience in B2B media, she has built a career connecting technical expertise with creative insight—translating complex topics into meaningful stories for professional audiences.
Before joining interiors+sources in 2024, Carrie served as Editor-in-Chief of LEDs Magazine within Endeavor Business Media’s Digital Infrastructure & Lighting Group, guiding coverage of emerging lighting technologies, sustainability, and human-centric design. Her earlier editorial experience spans across Laser Focus World, Vision Systems Design, Lightwave, and CleanRooms, where she managed print and digital publications serving the optics, photonics, and semiconductor sectors.
An advocate for clear communication and thoughtful storytelling, Carrie combines her editorial management, SEO, and content strategy expertise to help brands and readers stay informed in a rapidly evolving media landscape. When she’s not crafting content, Carrie can be found volunteering at a local animal shelter, diving into a good crime novel, or spending time outdoors with family, friends, and her favorite four-legged friends.